Son of a Saint
by Torsteinn
Summary: Two years have passed since Jack fled the vault. He's not the same young man he was when he first stumbled into Megaton. "The Lone Wanderer" is a name spoken only after looking over your shoulder, twice. This is the story of the man who failed to live up to his fathers name, and instead made it his own.
1. Chapter 1

**"Whiskey Gob, top shelf today"**

Jack opened the door to Simms house, lowered his head before going in as he always had to do so he wouldn't bang his head on the frame. Not because Simms's doorframe was unusually low, but because Jack was bigger than most people after all of the experimental surgeries he'd undergone. Even though he hadn't exactly volunteered for most of them, he had been extremely lucky with the results of them. The positive effects, like the adamantium skeleton, massively outweighing the negative effects, like loosing a couple of fingers.

"So how'd it go?" Simms asked. He was sitting at the dinner table, inspecting his Chinese assault rifle.

"We got them, or well, Stockholm did." Jack answered.

"Hell of a shot that man."

"Yeah, hell of a weirdo too."

Simms chuckled. "True, but enough about Stockholm, who were those folks?"

"Looked like mercs."

"Talon company?"

"Don't know, don't care, I'm here for my payment."

"Ah, so you're finally getting the fuck outta here I take it?"

"You made it quite clear you wanted me gone, so I'm going." Jack answered.

"You know I can't let you stay after what you did."

"I don't care, this town is a cesspool anyways, me moving was well overdue." Jack said now in his cold 'Lone Wanderer' tone.

Simms glared at him. "I guess I fooled myself all this time when I told myself you were a good person, but you really are on the devils highway. Who could've thought James Neeson's little son would become the Capital Wastelands biggest asshole."

"Yeah, yeah, my father was a saint blablabla, are you going to pay me or not?" Jack said and stared at Simms intensively, his hand now hovering above his 44. Magnum.

Simms stared at him with a defiant look in his eye, after a couple of seconds he finally spoke. "I said you could ask for anything you want, and I'm not a man to go back on his word, even if I sure would like to. So what do you want?"

"I want the Brahmin outside the clinic, and some things from Craterside supply, I'll tell Moira to put it on a tab, and I want your bobblehead."

"My bobblehead?" Simms looked confused.

"Yeah, the one on the desk in your bedroom." Jack said with a small grin.

Simms, clearly taken by surprise by the demand of his bobblehead, scratched his cheek, then he hissed: "Fine, I'll have the Brahmin sent to your porch along with the bobblehead but five hundred caps is the limit on that tab, if you go above that, you will have to pay the rest. Now get the fuck out of my house."

Jack smiled at Simms then turned around and headed out, towards Craterside supply.

-/-

"Heeyy Jack! I heard shooting earlier, was it you again? Moira said with her regular playful tone. She could very well be the only person left in Megaton who didn't hate his guts, or she was the best saleswoman he'd ever met. She was the only woman he couldn't quite read.

"Hi beautiful, no it wasn't me, there were some Talon company mercs creeping around the bomb, but Jericho chased them off and then Stockholm shot two of them outside the gates."

"Oh those two are such good men! Always protecting us simple folk!"

"Um, yeah, anyways, I need some supplies, do you mind walking me around? You know I can never find a thing in your shop." He said charmingly.

"Of course Jack! I can never say no to your handsome face." She answered and winked at him. "So what is it you need?"

"Ammo, 44. 556. and 308."

"Sure you didn't help fight off those baddies?" She said jokingly while walking towards the boxes on the far side of the room.

"Hahaha yes, I'm just grabbing some extra for the journey." He said while following her.

"Oh leaving again so soon? You just came back from Arefu!"

Yeah from Arefu, he thought to himself. He had actually gone to Paradise Falls to collect his payment for the four slaves he'd caught.

"Hello? Moira calling Jack?" Jack snapped out of his thoughts to find Moira standing in front of him holding three boxes of ammunition.

"Oh yeah, no, I'm leaving for good this time."

"WHAT!?" Moira shouted and threw him the boxes. James caught them easily thanks to his reflex implant.

"Are you leaving!? For good!?"

"Yeah, I've been living here on borrowed time since, you know.."

"Oh.. I see." Moira said with sadness in her tone.

"Don't worry beautiful I've read your book, I'll be fine."

"I know you will silly, but I will miss you and that handsome face." She said with teary eyes. Jack was actually surprised she seemed to care that much about him.

"I will miss my beautiful and smart local shopkeeper too." He said and caressed her cheek. She looked up into his eyes, and Jack saw that he had seen in so many women he had manipulated before, love. He almost felt bad for her, he hadn't realized she felt this way before, she was by far the kindest person he'd ever met.

"Anyways.. anything else you need handsome?" She asked. Wiping her tears while she waited for his answer.

"Yes, I need some copper wires, some off your extra-radiated water and a bottlecap mine."

"Okay go to the counter handsome, I'll be there in a jiffy."

Jack nodded and went to the counter with the ammo. He looked at the modified vault suit behind the counter, as he had done so many times while waiting for Moira. "You live in the vault, you die in the vault." He mumbled to himself. There was a time when he had often wondered what had happened in the vault after he left but nowadays it rarely crossed his mind. After all, it had been over two years now, and he still hadn't found his father, well he wasn't even looking for him anymore for that matter.

"Here you go! Everything you asked for in this box, neatly packed. Anything else?" Moira said, now smiling again although her eyes were still a bit sore.

"Yeah, I need to have my implants looked over before I go, but that can wait till tomorrow, right before I leave."

"I'm free tonight, I can come over to your place and look them over there if you want." She said seductively and bit her lower lip.

"That would be great beautiful. Around nine?"

"That sounds good! Now, all this will cost you three hundred seventy five caps."

"Write a tab for Lucas Simms, he will come pay it tomorrow."

"Oh, alright, then I'll see you later handsome!"

"Yeah, see you then beautiful." Jack said and put all off the boxes in his bag and headed out. Next stop, Moriarty's.

-/-

He kicked the door and it slammed wide open, the bar went silent. The scent of smoke, alcohol and fornication met his nose.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Jack hissed as he walked up to the bar. The chatter slowly returned and everyone went back to their business except for a man in a grey suit and hat, sitting at his own table drinking whiskey. Jack could see the man was still watching him, despite him wearing dark sunglasses. He seemed of no threat to Jack though so he paid him no mind.

"Whiskey Gob, top shelf today."

"Are we celebrating something?" The ghoul asked with his raspy voice while he turned around to get the whiskey.

"Yeah, this is the last time I get to see your ugly face." Jack answered jokingly.

"Oh so the sheriff finally kicked your sorry-ass out hu?" Gob said and chuckled while opening the bottle.

"Leave the bottle, hand me a glass. Yeah he did, although I won't exactly miss this pisshole."

Gob picked up a glass and handed it to Jack. "You'll miss me though won't you? Wherever you end up, you'll never settle in a town with a ghoul in it, and then you'll be the most physically messed up." He said and it looked like he gave him a wink, but he didn't have an eyelid on the eye he tried to wink with so it looked very strange. He wasn't wrong though, he was the most scarred after Gob, and he had some missing fingers and toes, he even had patches of skin which were radiation burned.

"No doubt Gob, I'll miss my favorite bartender in the wasteland." He answered and poured himself some whiskey. "Do you have any cigarettes in stock by the way?" He asked and downed his whiskey.

"Yeah in the back, give me a moment." Gob turned around and went back. Jack searched his pockets for his lighter, and then a voice spoke next to him.

"Excuse me sir, are you Jack Neeson, the Lone Wanderer?" Jack turned around and found that it was the man in the grey suit who was talking to him.

"Who's asking?" He said, his tone now of the Lone Wanderer.

"Mr. Burke, pleasure to meet you Mr. Neeson, would you care to join me?" The man said. Jack had never seen this man before, but found himself intrigued, there was something special about this man, that much was clear because nobody in Megaton wore a fancy suit but there was something else to him.

"Sure, the pleasure is mine Mr. Burke." Jack said and offered him his hand. Mr. Burke took it and gave him a proper handshake, not to hard, and not to soft. This was without a doubt a businessman. Jack sat down on the chair next to Mr. Burke.

"Cigar?" Mr. Burke asked and slid over a brown box. Jack opened it and picked up a cigar, and inspected it.

"Hm, pre-war?"

"Of course, they don't make them like they did before the war anymore."

"True, thank you." Jack closed the box and slid it back towards the man. He took his lighter and lit the cigar. He inhaled the smoke and exhaled a big smoke cloud. "So, how come you wish to speak with me? Not many people in this town would offer me their finest cigars." He asked the man while pouring himself some more whiskey.

"You're a special man Mr. Neeson. Just so happens I'm in need of a special man."

"Is that so?" Jack glanced at the man from the side of his glass while taking a sip of his whiskey. "Why do you need a 'special man'?"

"My employer wants to blow up the atom bomb in the center of this town." He said and took a sip of his own whiskey, which Jack noticed was top shelf as well. Jack was a bit shocked over the mans straightforwardness, but he showed it in no way, instead he answered calmly.

"I've already disarmed the bomb."

"Can it not be re-armed?" He asked.

"Maybe with some kind of powerful charge."

"Would a fusion pulse charge do?" Mr. Burke said, now leaning forward towards Jack.

"Sure, that would do the trick, but those are rare, extremely hard to get your hands on, and then you would have to install it correctly." Mr. Burke reached for the cigarbox and turned it around, opened a secret compartment and slid it over to Jack. Jack looked down, and in there he saw a fusion pulse charge. "Mr. Burke, you are full of surprises." Jack said, still very calmly.

"Are you the man I'm looking for Mr. Neeson?" He asked and took another sip. Jack felt no allegiance towards the people of Megaton, he really only liked Moira and Gob, but blowing up the bomb and commiting genocide?

"What's in it for me?" He asked, to see if it was even worth considering.

"I'm allowed to offer you a VIP suite on the top of Tenpenny Tower, and five hundred caps."

"Oh a suite? I actually happen to be in need of a new home, does it come with furniture?"

"No, but once you arrive we will pay for one of the decorating themes Boutique le Chic, one of our local shops, offers."

"That sure sounds like a pretty good offer, make it a thousand caps, and I'm your man." Jack answered, now completely convinced. He had told himself after the incident that if he got a chance to fuck over the folks who had fucked him over, he would take that chance. Even if committing genocide seemed a bit overkill, it was very well paid and in the wasteland you always had to put yourself first, or you would pay for it, he had learnt that the hard way.

"Here are your cigarettes Jack." Gob interrupted them.

"Thanks Gob. Now shoo, we are talking here."

"Yeye fuck you too." He said and went back to the bar.

"Fine a thousand caps it is, here are the coordinates to Tenpenny tower. Meet me and my employer there when it's done. Keep the cigars." Mr. Burke said and stood up. "I'll be seeing you."

Then he walked up to Gob at the bar, paid him, and then left. Jack downed the last of his whiskey, then put the cigar/bomb box and his cartoon of cigarettes in his bag. He picked up his whiskey bottle and went up to the bar.

"Hand me the cork Gob." Gob handed him the cork and Jack sealed the bottle once again. "How much do you want?"

"Nothing Jack, that man in the fancy suit paid for everything." Jack looked up.

"Oh well, then here's a tip at least." He said and put ten caps in Gob's tipping jar. He took his whiskey bottle and headed out.

Time for the last night in Megaton, he thought. For everyone.


	2. Chapter 2

**"Do you want to do the honors Mr. Neeson"**

It was a couple of minutes past midnight when Jack crept out of the bed, trying not to wake Moira. He went downstairs and opened the locker he kept his clothing in. He choose a black hoodie and dark-blue jeans, black socks and his dark jogging shoes. After putting everything on, he snuck over to his workbench and smeared his face with some motor-oil. Then he pulled the hood over his head, silently opened the door and snuck out, grabbing the fusion pulse charge he'd stashed above the door.

Using the shadows cast by the water pipes for cover, he slowly approached the bomb. There was no one lingering around The Brass Lantern, anyone still awake seemed to be at Moriarty's. It suited Jack perfectly since he had to be on the side of the bomb towards the Brass Lantern to install the charge. He quickly dashed towards the bomb and slid in under its shadow, quickly opened the hatch and began installing the charge. It was no easy task, but Jack was a good tinkerer, and installing the charge went better then expected, he was done in a matter of minutes. He closed the hatch and looked around, unfortunately his eyes met with another's. Leo Stahl's to be precise.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked him wearily, clearly in one of his chem-clouds. Nevertheless Jack couldn't count on that Leo would forget seeing what he had seen so Jack decided to take drastic measures. He quickly ran up to Leo, covered his mouth and dragged him in behind the pipes, where he strangled him. Leo tried to resist but his attempts were futile. Jack was way stronger than Leo, and after a couple of seconds his body became lifeless. He looked at the man he had killed, the brother, the caretaker of his younger siblings, and he felt nothing. The first time he had killed a man he had felt great anguish, now he just felt a bit tired. It used to scare him, his emotionless response, but now he'd come to accept it. He'd come to terms with being the monster Three-Dog told the people of the Capital Wasteland he was, because it was true. He could see why people would see his acts as monstrous because he himself could see it, but better to be the monster and survive than the victim and die, a valuable lesson he had learnt in The Pitt.

Jack dragged Leo's body a bit further in under the scaffolding and put it under a piece of metal, hoping no one would find it before he'd left town. He made his way back towards his house and climbed in through the window straight into his bedroom. Once again he snuck passed the bed, trying not to wake Moira, and went downstairs. He had already packed the Brahmin with everything he wanted to take with him, except for the things he was going to carry himself. He changed into his leather armor and boots, put on his brown sun cap and took his packed military backpack. He went over to his weapon locker and equipped himself with his 44. Magnum, holstered his hunting rifle in the holster on the backpack, picked up his Chinese assault rifle and sheathed his combat-knife. Then he filled his ammo-belt with the ammo he'd bought, two frag grenades and two pulse grenades. Lastly he checked his Pip-Boy to see if he'd forgotten anything, he hadn't. He took the note he'd written Moira, and left it on the dinner table, before heading out. He closed the door quietly, then took the Brahmin's leach and left Megaton for good.

-/-

Just after the sunrise Jack came upon the old RobCo facility and behind it laid Tenpenny Tower. He made his way down the hill and towards the old parking lot in front of the RobCo facility, almost dragging the Brahmin behind him. Suddenly a robot appeared from around the corner of the building. It was a Mister Gutsy and it had clearly picked up Jack on its scanner because it's voice could be heard across the parking lot.

"UNKNOWN IDENTITY TO THE EAST, ORDERS SIR?!"

Jack halted and turned the safety off on his rifle. Now a man appeared behind the robot and looked towards Jack. It seemed like he told the robot to stand down because once again the loud robotic voice echoed across the asphalt.

"IF YOU SAY SO SIR, I STILL THINK WE SHOULD KILL THEM ALL, AND LET GOD SORT THEM OUT!"

Jack chuckled, it sounded like the Mister Gutsy had some form of personality installed. The man waved towards him and Jack took it as an invite to move towards them. When he finally reached them the man greeted him.

"Hello stranger. I'm Tinker Joe, premier supplier of robotic parts and service throughout the DC Wasteland."

"Jack Neeson, pleasure to meet you sir." Jack answered. As so many people did when they heard Jack's name, Tinker Joe instantly became nervous.

"O-oh, I'm sorry for my Mister Gutsy sir! H-he's a bit hard to c-control with that s-simulated personality." Tinker Joe stuttered.

"No worries, in fact I find him interesting, how much do you want for him?"

"S-sorry sir but, he's q-quite picky wi-with the c-company he k-keeps."

"What are you implying my good sir?" Jack said, acting insulted.

Tinker Joe struggled with finding the right words, knowing that if a badly formulated answer left his lips, it could be the end of him. Of course that is what he believed, it's what Jack would do according to all the stories, although Jack really had no intention of killing the man.

But tinker Joe didn't get the chance to answer him because suddenly the sound of a shot could be heard, and his chest exploded. Jack quickly dived behind the Brahmin.

"TAKING FIRE, THE SCOUNDRELS ARE COMING FROM THE SOUTH, CHAAAARGE SOLDIERS!" The Mister Gutsy shouted and hovered towards Tenpenny Tower as fast as it could. Jack estimated that it got about 30 yards before another shot was heard, and the sound of metal scratching against the ground met Jacks ears. Who the fuck was shooting? Jack thought. He unholstered his hunting rifle optimized his scope to full zoom, then leaned out to the side of the Brahmin and looked up against the tower. He systematically scanned every window before reaching the top, where a balcony lead around the tower. He saw a man in a red suit, standing with a sniper rifle, looking down at the parking lot, and next to him sat what looked like Mr. Burke, drinking whiskey. Another shot was heard and a bullet went right passed Jacks head. Jack didn't even flinch, this wasn't exactly the first time he got shot at. He aimed his rifle against Mr. Burke and fired. He saw through his scope how Mr. Burke's whiskey bottle exploded. Mr. Burke jumped out of his chair and looked down towards Jack. He picked up a pair of binoculars and Jack waved at him. Mr. Burke lowered his binoculars and said something to the man in the red suit and he then lowered his sniper rifle, and sat down in his chair. Jack didn't exactly trust the two men, so he continued looking at them through his scope to assure himself that they wouldn't shoot at him again, but after a few minutes he concluded that they wouldn't so he re-holstered his rifle to his backpack and stood up. Tinker Joes body laid right in front of the Brahmin. Jack looted the body and found nothing of value except for a bag of caps. He then went over to the Mister Gutsy. He was pretty sure he could repair it with the right parts, so he bound a rope around it and tied it to the Brahmin. He took the leach and began the ascent to Tenpenny Tower.

-/-

"You can tell Tenpenny he can kiss my ass! We've got plenty of bottle caps! Let me in!" The ghoul screamed at the intercom.

"Aren't they letting people in?" Jack asked and the ghoul turned around, Chinese assault rifle in hand.

"No, fucking racist bigots!" He answered with the signature raspy voice of a ghoul.

"Aha, no ghouls allowed I take it?" Jack said and looked at him sympathetically.

"No.." The ghouls said and lowered his rifle. Jack instantly drew his magnum and shot the ghoul in the head. His body fell to the ground with a little thump. Jack went over to the body to inspect the rifle, it seemed in good condition so he took it and put it into the Brahmins packing.

"What are you doing Roy?! Don't make me come out there and shoot you, you goddamn zombie!"

Jack turned around, it seemed like the voice came from the intercom so Jack went up to it and clicked the button to speak.

"Hello? You don't have to come out to shoot him, I already did." Jack said into the intercom.

"Who's this?" The voice asked commandingly.

"Jack Neeson, I have an appointment with Mr. Burke."

"Oh, sorry sir, come on in, I'll open the gate for you." The voice answered, then a generator started and the gate opened.

Jack took the Brahmins leach and went in. A man in combat armor came walking towards him.

"Good morning sir, sorry for the welcoming I thought you were that damn zombie."

"No problem, it's quite alright, and as I said, you don't have to worry about that 'zombie' anymore, or well, you maybe have to move his body, because it's currently laying in front of the intercom." Jack said and smiled.

"I'll have one of my man tend to it, thank you though, he's been a pain in my ass for months. Anyways, I'm Chief Gustavo, head of security here at Tenpenny Tower."

"Pleasure to meet you chief. Do you have anywhere for me to tie my Brahmin so it won't wander away?"

Chief Gustavo whistled for one of his men and instructed him to take care of Jacks Brahmin, and then he showed him inside.

Well inside, Jack felt like he had stepped through a time machine, it looked uncannily like the photos he had seen in photo-albums in the vault from before the war, and people were walking around in fancy clothes, like they were unaffected by the harsh wasteland outside. He went up to the reception and spoke to Chief Gustavo's man who picked up a phone and spoke with, Jack assumed, Mr. Burke, informing him of Jacks arrival. After exchanging a few words he hung up and told Jack to take the elevator to the top floor, and that Mr. Burke would meet him there. Jack went into the elevator and pushed the top floor button.

The elevator doors slid open and suddenly Mr. Burke was standing right in front of Jack.

"Mr. Neeson! Welcome to Tenpenny Tower, how are you?"

"I'm good thank you, except for a few bruises from diving to the ground."

"Sorry about that, Mr. Tenpenny got a bit carried away and forgot we were expecting you."

"I expect to be compensated for it." Jack said and stared into Mr. Burke's eyes.

"You will have to speak to Mr. Tenpenny about that, but firstly, you can't approach Mr. Tenpenny looking like that, what is that on your face?" He said and drew his finger on Jacks cheek and tasted it. "Aha, oil, anyways, here is the key to your suite, take it and go take a shower and change your clothes, I've gotten you a suit that you'll find fitting. Your suite is the one to the right here. We will be awaiting you on the balcony." He said and went into the left suite.

Jack unlocked and opened the door. He had barely stepped in before a Mister Handy greeted him.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Godfrey, your personal robotic butler."

"Hi Godfrey, where's the shower?"

"I see your parents must've forgotten to teach you proper manners, the shower is in the bathroom to your right sir."

"You have a simulated personality installed?" Jack asked his new butler.

"I assure you sir, there's nothing simulated about my personality." Godfrey answered.

"Hm, you're awfully alike my last Mister Handy. Anyways, I'm gonna hit the shower, you can go down and carry up all my stuff, it's packed on a Brahmin down in the yard, and please ask one of Chief Gustavo's men to get my Mister Gutsy up here too."

"Certainly sir."

Godfrey hovered out of the suite and Jack went into the bathroom. The suite was a big upgrade compared to his old house in Megaton. It was both bigger and it looked way better. Like the rest of the tower the interior looked pre-war and very well preserved. It also had clean, running water. He took of backpack and laid down his guns, took of his armor and stepped into the shower. He showered for a good fifteen minutes before deciding it was enough, stepped out and dried himself off with a fine looking towel. Then he went into the living room and put on the black suit laying on the couch. He looked at himself in the mirror while he was tying his tie. If not for the Yao Guai claw scar over his left eye down onto his left cheek, he looked good. Thankfully his short black beard covered it pretty well. He put on the loafers Mr. Burke had placed next to the door and went out to meet him and this Mr. Tenpenny, who apparently was his employer.

-/-

The guard posted outside, what Jack assumed was Tenpenny's suite, opened the door for him and showed him outside. Jack went through and headed towards the balcony door. He opened it and a beautiful overlook over the Capital Wasteland greeted him. He'd never been this high up before, you could even see the heap of scrap that was Megaton from here, and he found himself a bit lost in the moment. He was quickly pulled back to reality however, when Mr. Burke spoke.

"Mr. Neeson, meet my employer, Mr. Tenpenny, owner of this fine tower."

"Pleasure to meet you sir." Jack said and offered him his hand. Tenpenny shook it and said:

"The pleasure's mine son, I've heard lots about you, a real go getter. If the stories are true, you remind me of myself in my younger days."

"I've never heard of you sir so excuse me if I doubt it." Jack said with a hint of spitefulness in his tone. The mans first impression hadn't been that great since he tried to shoot him, and Jack didn't like to be compared to a man who was clearly full of himself.

"Ahaha, I like him Mr. Burke! He's not afraid to speak his mind, now we just have to see if he's as resourceful as he's bold! The suitcase please!"

Mr. Burke pulled out a suitcase from under his chair and put it on the table standing next to the railing. He opened it and inside was a remote detonator. Tenpenny stood up from his chair and looked towards Megaton.

"Do you want to do the honors Mr. Neeson? After all, it's your handiwork that's led to this moment!" Tenpenny said.

"Um, sure." Jack answered and walked up to the detonator.

He pushed the button before his former conscience would try and make itself heard. A bright flash nearly blinded him, then the sound of the huge explosion reached his ears, and then he felt the wind push against his body. When the light faded away, a big mushroom cloud took its place. He knew it should feel like a horrible sight, but he thought it was quite beautiful. When he had taken one life last night, he had felt nothing. Now that he had taken hundreds with just the push of a button, he had hoped that it would be the catalyst that would reconnect him with his emotions. That he would feel something again, but he didn't. No guilt, no remorse, just emptiness.

"Ahahahaaa, well done, Mister Burke! What a grand display of fireworks! I almost wish there was another nuke we could detonate. You don't see that very often." Tenpenny cheered.

"It was truly a marvelous sight sir, or what do you say Mr. Neeson?"

"It sure was something I never thought I'd experience." Jack answered. "Now, the rest of my payment if you don't mind Mr. Burke."

"Yes of course, I'll have your caps taken from the treasury and delivered to your suite. And on the matter of the furnitures, what you have now are just the basics, speak with Miss Montenegro, the owner of Boutique le Chic, she's been told that the new furnishings are on Mr. Tenpenny."

"Don't forget about my compensation for getting shot at by Mr. Tenpenny."

Mr. Burke wasn't able to respond before Tenpenny interrupted:

"Oh come on now Mr. Neeson, I didn't even hit you!"

"Now now Mr. Tenpenny, I'm a reasonable man. I'll settle for a bottle of your finest whiskey, and a good meal." Jack said wittingly.

"Mr. Burke, you sure know how to pick'em! Fair enough son, it's a deal." Tenpenny said cheerfully.

"I'll inform Mrs. Primrose that she has a guest tonight, everything paid for, and have a bottle of our finest whiskey sent to your suite Mr. Neeson." Mr. Burke said.

Jack, who was getting tired of speaking courteously and well mannered, decided to end the conversation.

"Much appreciated, now if you'll excuse me sirs, I have matters to tend to, good afternoon." He said and left the two men on the balcony. "What should one eat when he'd blown up an atom bomb, killing hundreds of people?" he thought. "Mirelurk cake? Yeah, Mirelurk cake."


	3. Chapter 3

**"What the fuck do you want"**

"Mr. Neeson sir, Chief Gustavo wishes to speak with you, he´s on the intercom." Godfrey informed him, after he barged into his bedroom.

"Yeah, I´ll be down in a minute." Jack answered. He sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked at the clock on his nightstand. 07:00 AM, it said.

"What´s going on?" Susan asked sleepily, still only half awake. Jack didn't bother with answering her, he got up and walked up to the closet. He choose a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt, then he went downstairs to the intercom he´d installed two months ago, right after moving in.

"Good morning Chief, now, what the fuck is so important that you needed to wake me up at seven in the morning?" Jack said irritated into the intercom.

"Sorry sir, but there´s a woman here, claiming to have an appointment with you." The Chief answered. Jack detected a whiff of fear in the man's voice. In his hubris, Jack thought it was because he was afraid of disturbing "The Lone Wanderer", so he responded with:

"Well that´s not true so tell her to GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

"S-sorry sir, but I can´t." The Chief stuttered. Jack, who was now fuming with rage, slammed the button on the intercom and shouted:

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING YOU CAN`T?!"

"S-sir, step out on your balcony and l-look towards the Robco Facility and y-you will understand..."

"I FUCKING WILL, AND THEN I WILL COME DOWN AND FUCKING KILL YOU GUSTAVO!" The intercom went silent. Jack walked to his kitchen and made himself some coffee to calm himself down. He opened the cabinet above the sink and took out a coffee cup. While waiting for the coffee to brew Susan walked down the stairs, with only a robe covering her naked body. She walked up to Jack and hugged him, her hands barely reaching up to his neck. She kissed him on the cheek then asked him:

"Who were you screaming at?" Jack looked down at the woman. The only reason she was here was because Grouse had told him of a Susan Lancaster, whom Eulogy would pay good caps for. The problem was that she was extremely popular, since she was the only whore in the whole tower. He still hadn´t figured out how to get her out of here without anyone noticing, so when she approached him last night he´d taken the opportunity to get to know her better. Unfortunately, he hadn´t learned anything that would help him.

"The chief." he answered. Susan caressed his chest.

"What did he say to upset you so greatly?" Jack knew she was trying to get dirt on him, information was the most valuable thing in the tower for the lower residents. But he also wanted her to trust him so he could get that slave-collar on her easily, so he decided to answer her truthfully, she wouldn´t be around long enough to spill any of the things he told her.

"He didn't do as I told him."

"Ooohh, he didn't do as `The Lone Wanderer´ told him?" She said playfully, and smiled. Jack smiled back at her.

"No, and no one gets away with that." He said and grabbed her with one hand around the throat. She moaned and her hands made their way down his torso. The coffee machine beeped, signaling that the coffee was ready. He let go of her and turned around, her hands now falling onto his lower back instead. She hugged him from behind while he poured coffee into his cup. He felt her un-zipping his pants. He turned around and lifted her up with one hand, his coffee cup in the other. He carried her out to the balcony, he put his cup on the table then sat down in his chair, Susan on top of him. She reached down into his pants and pulled out his dick. She jerked it a couple of times before she put it inside of her. She moaned and began bouncing on him. Jack sipped on his coffee and let her do all the work. After a few minutes he had finished his coffee, he put his cup away, grabbed Susan and stood up, he went towards the railing and turned her around and bent her over it, and began fucking her from behind. He pulled her hair, and she began to scream of pleasure. Jack didn't know if it was screams of real pleasure or simulated, and he didn't care. Suddenly something caught his eye. He was looking down towards the old RobCo facility, and he saw something he hadn't seen in a long time. There stood a Vertibird parked on the old parking lot. There seemed to be some people in Power armor standing next to it as well. Jack slowed down and let go of Susan´s hair, and then stopped fucking her completely. Susan who obviously hadn't seen the Vertibird, immediately turned around and went down on her knees and began blowing him. Jack was completely spaced out, lost in old memories. Eventually he was pulled back to reality when he felt his dick beginning to pulsate. Susan took it all in her mouth and swallowed. "There was no doubt what Eulogy had in mind for her when she was delivered to him." he thought. He zipped his pants and went back inside, leaving Susan on the balcony. He went into the room he´d made into his armory and equipped himself with his trusty Magnum and concealed it behind his back in the jeans. Then he went back into the living room, through it and to the hall. He grabbed his brown leather jacket, and went out to meet this visitor he apparently had an appointment with.

-/-

Chief Gustavo greeted him nervously when he stepped out of the tower. He was standing next to the intercom.

"S-sorry sir, but…"

"I saw, who´s my visitor?" Jack interrupted him.

"She says her name is Sarah Lyons, from the Brotherhood, sir."

"Fuck me, that´s a name I haven´t heard in a long time. What does she want?"

"She said she would only speak with you sir."

"Fine, open up the gate."

"Sir, Mr. Tenpenny´s orders…"

"Not to let her in retard, I´m going out."

"Oh, yes sir." he said and started the generator to the gate. Jack went down the stairs and crossed the yard quickly. He went out through the gate and looked to the right towards the intercom. There she stood, in full Power armor. Despite her being in Power armor, Jack still stood at about half an inch taller, one of the reasons he didn´t wear Power armor, he still hadn´t found one that was large enough for him. She turned her head at Jack and looked at him.

"Hi John." she said. With her helmet on she sounded like a robot.

"What the fuck do you want?" Jack sneezed.

"I forgot, you´re not a morning person."

"Yeah sure, you `forgot´ Sarah. Now answer the question."

"Aren´t you going to invite me in?" she said and Jack was sure she was looking smug under her helmet.

"You know I won´t."

"Alright I´m done with this, I need to speak with you, now, and if you´re not going to invite me in so we can talk in private, I´m going to have to take you with me." she said and reached for her laser rifle. But Jack was faster, pulling out his magnum and aiming it at her.

"I´m not going anywhere, and you of all people should know that people don't get away with threatening me."

"I´m wearing Power armor, you can´t hurt me with that toy of yours."

"Stop treating me like a dumb-ass-waster. The plating on the throat is thinner, and hitting it from here isn't that hard." Jack said, calling her bluff. "Now, lay down your rifle, and get the fuck outta the armor."

Sarah sighed, then laid down her laser rifle and got out of the armor. Due to her having the T-45d Power armor, she only had a recon suit underneath, showing off her body as if she was naked.

"You´re still fit I see."

"Fuck you Jack."

"Come on, inside." He said and waved her in with his gun. When they passed Chief Gustavo, Jack instructed him to have someone get the Power armor outside up to his suite.

"Are you really stealing my Power armor?" Sarah said angrily. Jack ignored her and pushed her inside the tower. They walked through the lounge and people stopped and looked at them, whispering and exchanging worried looks. Eventually they reached the elevator.

"Push the top floor button." Jack said commandingly.

"So, you killed hundreds of people, for a suite on the top floor?"

"Hu?"

"I know you blew up the bomb in Megaton."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Good for you."

"Don´t you have anything to say to defend your innocence?" She asked suspiciously.

"No, cuz´ I´m not innocent. I never could lie to you." He answered honestly. She looked at him, and Jack could see something broke inside of her, and then it dawned on him, she still cared for him.

"I was wrong, you truly are a monster, you can´t be redeemed."

"It´s better to be the monster and survive than the victim and die." he mumbled to himself.

"What?"

The elevator beeped, alerting them that they´d reached their desired floor and the doors opened. Jack once again pushed her in the back with his gun and guided her towards his suite. As usual Godfrey greeted him just as he entered the suite.

"Back already sir? I´ve cleaned up the mess you left, and miss Lancaster is in the sho… where are my manners you have a guest with you! Pleasure to meet you miss, I´m Godfrey, Mr. Neeson´s personal robotic butler! Can I get you anything?"

"Get us two cups of coffee Godfrey." Jack commanded.

"I´m sorry for my master miss, he forgets his manners sometimes. I´ll have your coffee ready in 5 minutes." Godfrey said then hovered towards the living room. Jack took of his jacket and threw it on a chair.

"Follow Godfrey, we´ll talk in the living room." Jack said calmly.

-/-

After Godfrey had served them coffee, they just sat for a few minutes looking at each other, eventually Jack put the gun down on the side of his armchair and broke the silence.

"So, why the fuck are you here?"

"The Brotherhood needs your help." Sarah confessed.

"With what?"

"Project Purity."

"And why should I help the Brotherhood with the purifier hu?"

"For the good of the Capital Wasteland!" Jack took a sip of his coffee and looked at her, acting confused. "Oh COME ON! Then do it for your dad! Finish the work he started."

"Okay, let´s assume I agree to help you? What is it you need me for?"

Sarah sighed before answering. "We need the code to start it up. Dr. Li and her team of scientists managed to get everything operational without your father, it took a lot longer then we liked, costing many a brother's life to defend them, but we did it. The only thing we´re missing is the start-up code, and it can´t be changed. So please, what´s the code?"

Jack chuckled a little. "What?" She asked, looking very confused.

"Why do you think I know the code?" Jack answered. "Because I´m James Neeson´s son?"

"YES! I know you do! You have to!" she almost screamed.

"I´m sorry to disappoint you but I don't. I didn´t even know about the purifier before Dr. Li told me about it, and that was well after my father left me for dead." Jack said truthfully. Sarah shrunk in her armchair. Jack felt something he hadn´t felt in a long time. He felt, he felt sorry for her. He stood up and went to the bookcases, he opened a drawer and pulled out a holo-tape. When he turned around she was holding the magnum and aiming at him. "You have to know the code John, I know you do!" She screamed. Godfrey came speeding down the stairs when she heard her screaming.

"MISS, PUT THE GUN DOWN OR I´ll BE FORCED TO TURN YOU INTO A PILE OF GOO!" He screamed and pointed his newly installed plasma rifle at her.

"Godfrey lower your arms, go back upstairs." Jack said calmly.

"But sir…"

"Now, that´s an order!" He shouted. Godfrey lowered his weapon and hovered back upstairs. Sarah looked confused and asked:

"Why did you do that?"

"I haven't been able to calibrate his aiming sensor correctly, it´s just as likely he would´ve hit me." Jack said and smiled. "Here, before you shoot me, I told you I could never lie to you, and honestly, I don't know the code, but I know who does." He took the holo-tape and slowly put it in his Pip-Boy, so she wouldn´t think he tried to take the gun from her. He pushed the start button and the voice of his father burst out of the small speaker:

 _"_ _I'm off to Vault 112 to search for anything of Braun's that might help me get this purifier up and running. All I know is that it's West of some place called "Evergreen Mills," and it's well hidden in some sort of garage. But I'll find it, I have to. It's so close, but that's the story of Project Purity, isn't it? An eternity of "almost there's". Let's see if Braun has the missing puzzle piece."_

The room fell quiet. They just looked at each other. Then, after a couple of seconds, Sarah lowered the gun and hugged him. Jack embraced her and they stood there for a good minute or so before Sarah let go.

"Thank you." She said. "I´ll find him."

"I´m sure you will." Jack said.

"Well, I´ll be leaving then."

"Yeah, I´ll escort you out."

"No worries, my ride is here." She said and smiled. Jack was very confused but chose not to show it and instead said:

"Goodbye Sarah."

She then went out onto the balcony and after a few seconds the Vertibird appeared. It hovered just beside the railing and Sarah jumped over it and onto the bird. She looked back at him, still smiling at him, and held up his magnum. Jack smiled and waved her goodbye and then she flew away. Then he heard someone trying to sneak behind him.

"Godfrey! Get down here and detain miss Lancaster. I need to have a few words with her…"


	4. Chapter 4

**"** **Thank you stranger, you… wait… John? Is that you?"**

Jack was crouching behind a rock, leaning out from the side and looking through the scope of his hunting rifle. He had spotted the Vertibird landing next to what was marked on his Pip-Boy as "Smith Casey´s Garage". He had seen three Brotherhood soldiers entering the garage. His gut told him that one of them was Sarah. He wondered if this was the garage that his father had mentioned in the hollo-tape. The Brotherhood seemed to think so. They´d left two soldiers guarding the bird, so Jack couldn´t steal it. It would´ve been something, he thought, his own Vertibird. His mind snapped back to reality, when the three soldiers who´d entered the garage came out again. Looked like it wasn´t the garage they were looking for, because no father Neeson was exiting with them. One of the soldiers punched the side of the Vertibird. Jack was now sure that it was Sarah. Another of the soldiers went up to her, it looked like he/she was trying to comfort her. It didn´t seem to work though because Sarah pushed the comforting soldier away. Then they jumped back into the Vertibird and took off. They flew away south. Probably towards Tenpenny Tower. Sarah was probably thinking, or hoping, Jack could help further. Truth be told Jack actually hoped they would find his father, for Sarah´s sake. Every monster had its weakness after all.

Jack holstered his rifle on the backpack and stood up. He had set out to deliver Susan to Paradise Falls, but he got tired of her crying and pleading, so he set the collar to auto, and sent her on her way, giving her a day to get herself to Paradise Falls before the collar exploded. She was a former slaver after all so he believed she´d make it there in one piece. If she didn´t he would at least get paid for killing her since she was one of Eulogy´s VIP´s. He preferred if they were captured, but he was cool with killing them as well.

His new plan for the trip had been to go to a place he´d heard the slavers discussing, there was supposed to be a town, completely made up of children, in a cave somewhere out west, but no one had ever found it and since Eulogy paid more for children Jack had decided to give it a shot, he could always use some extra caps, and he had to do something with his time, or he´d go crazy. But now he found himself intrigued by the garage. He didn´t know, but his gut told him it was something there that Sarah had missed, and his gut had never betrayed him before. So he decided to check it out. He picked up his Chinese assault rifle and headed towards the garage.

-/-

When he entered the garage the stench of dead molerat reached his nose. Some bugs were already feasting on the carcasses. He scanned his surroundings. He saw nothing of interest in the old reception area, so he went out to the garage. There he saw more dead molerats, but that was about it. He turned around to leave, when something caught his eye. There was a switch on the wall, but there was nothing in the garage that seemed to need a switch. He went over to it and pulled it. To his surprise, a part of the floor opened up, revealing some stairs which looked very much like the stairs in Vault 101. He went down the stairs, finger on the trigger, then walked through a long corridor. It turned to the right and suddenly he was standing in front of a vault door. "112" was written on it, just like the vault door in his old vault had "101" written on it. Could his father still be inside? It had been over two years so it seemed unlikely, given Jack´s track-record, but what if he was? Since he hadn´t returned to Project Purity, there was a chance that he would find his father dead inside the vault, and if that wasn´t the case he´d probably perished out in the wasteland.

After a few minutes of giving it some thought he decided to check the vault out, it could at least offer him some closure. He hooked up his Pip-Boy to the control panel, end that horrible alarm went off. This is giving me some major flashbacks, he thought. Then that even awfuller screeching sound of the vault door sliding open tortured his ears. When all the terrible sounds stopped, he stepped into the vault. To his surprise, he was greeted by a Robo-Brain, telling him his arrival was 202,3 years behind schedule. It then handed him a vault suit and requested him to put it on. Jack wasn´t in the mood so he packed it into his backpack and shoot the Robo-Brains energy conductor, causing it to shut down. He continued farther into the vault and found a large room, which contained some kind of pods, similar to the one the Outcasts had found. Upon closer inspection, he could confirm his suspicion. They were simulation pods. He checked the pods one by one, to see if his father was inside one, and that he was. Over two years, and he had been in a simulation almost the entire time. Jack logged in to the pods terminal. His father was still alive, according to the readings, but it said that manual ejection had been terminated. He wondered if it was like the Operation Anchorage simulation, that you had to finish the simulation to get out, but that seemed weird. It had taken Jack about three days to finish that simulation, his father had been in this for over two years. Something was wrong. Thanks to his earlier experiences with simulations, he knew that there should be a failsafe inside the simulation itself. The problem with Operation Anchorage had been that it was so big that the failsafe was near impossible to find if you didn´t know where it was, which the Outcasts scribes hadn´t known. This simulation didn´t seem to be as big though, since the computer said that there was only a couple of small different places installed. The currently active one was "Tranquility Lane". There was one pod left open, which didn´t contain anybody. Jack climbed into it. Now that he had finally found, or stumbled upon, his father, he couldn´t just walk away. He wasn´t dead and leaving him here wouldn´t offer Jack any closure. He leaned back, closed the pod, and prepared himself to meet his father.

-/-

The pod opened and Jack looked down on his Pip-Boy. Twelve hours, not bad, he thought. Definitely better than his father. He couldn´t wrap his head around how easy it had been either, how the fuck was his father stuck in there for over two years? When all you had to do was play the sadistic freak´s games? He looked over towards his father´s pod, to see if Braun kept his word. He had, Jack saw his father climbing out of the pod. Jack did the same, and now stood face to face with his father.

"Thank you stranger, you… wait… John? Is that you?" Jack nodded, finding himself speechless. He´d almost forgotten his father´s voice, and it felt surreal to hear it again. "Son… you´ve saved me. I was afraid I´d be trapped in there forever. It´s so good to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? To be honest, I kind of stumbled across this place on my travels." Jack answered coldly.

"In your travels? What do you mean? I… I left you in the vault… you shouldn´t be out here." His father answered confusingly.

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way. Leaving your only son to die underground without warning." Jack said sarcastically.

"What? Son, what are you talking about?"

Jack sighed. "When you left, the alarm went off, the Overseer had Jonas interrogated and killed, then he sent for me, luckily Amata got to me first and warned me, and I managed to escape, after killing him and taking the Overseer´s secret passage to the vault door."

"Oh my God… I´m so sorry son. I can´t even imagine the horrors you´ve gone through…"

"No, you really can´t." Jack interrupted him. His father looked at him. His eyes sorrowful and teary. He seemed to be examining him. After a few seconds, he touched the scars over Jack´s left eye.

"What´s this from?" he asked.

"Yao Guai." Jack answered.

"And these?" he asked and touched the scars around Jack´s neck.

"From a slave collar." His father looked up on his son´s face in horror.

"Yeah, I got grabbed by slavers, about six months after leaving the vault, when delivering a letter to Arefu. I was then sent to a place called the Pitt, where I worked in the Mill for about seven months I think. Then I was put in the Arena, where I fought for two months, before earning my freedom."

"I-I´m so, so sorry." his father said with tears running down his cheeks. "B-but wait… How long have I been in here?"

"It´s been two and a half years since you left the vault." Jack answered, still coldly as ice.

"That means, I´ve been here for over two years… Oh my God." He said, the realization hitting him hard.

"Yeah, well, could´ve been worse, I thought you´d died."

"No, no, I need to get back to Project Purity."

Jack sighed. "They´ve already finished it, they just need the code."

"What? They?"

"Dr. Li and her team."

"Did they retrieve the G.E.C.K?"

"I don´t know what that is and I don´t care. Sarah told me they had finished it, and just needed the code."

"Sarah? Elder Lyons daughter?"

"Yeah, she was just here, but she didn´t find the secret switch in the garage."

"I see."

"Mm. I´m getting out of here now, I need to get going. It´s getting late and I´d prefer to get to my destination while the sun is still up." Jack said and turned around and walked towards the stairs. His father followed.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business dad."

"Son wait!" His father said and put his and on Jack´s shoulder. "I know I haven't been the best father, but please come with me! I don´t want to leave you again."

Jack turned around and looked down into his father´s eyes. "You´re not leaving me, **I´m** leaving you this time." He answered and made quick work of the stairs, without looking back. He continued through the vault, passed the dead Robo-Brain and stepped out of the vault into the long corridor. When he reached the end of the corridor, he saw that the floor had closed automatically and Jack looked around for a switch. Suddenly the floor/ceiling opened and when Jack looked up, he was greeted with a bright red light filling his vision and then everything went black.

-/-

When he woke up, everything was still pitch black, even though he felt his eyes were open. He could hear a heartbeat monitor beeping next to him, and muzzled voices, it sounded like they argued. His face was extremely warm. It felt like he had bandages wrapped around his head. He was lying down in some kind of bed. He cleared his throat, getting his voice ready to talk, then it felt like the world around him started to spin, and he felt himself fading out of consciousness again.

-/-

"I´m sorry Dr. Neeson, but there is nothing more we can do! I don´t even know how he´s managed to stay alive this long. I´ve never seen anyone survive a shot from a laser rifle to the head before. I mean, his forehead has completely melted away, and his eyes seem to have taken a serious hit as well." a voice unknown to Jack, informed.

"I CAN´T LOSE HIM NOW!" his father screamed. "Not now…"

Jack reached out towards his father´s voice. His father gasped and took his hand.

"Son! Are you conscious?"

Jack grunted in response. He hadn´t felt this weak since working in the Mill.

"I´m sorry son, I don´t know what to do!" his father said in despair. Jack smiled. He cleared his throat and coughed some blood. But this time he didn´t pass out.

"Rads…" he mumbled.

"What? Rads? What do you mean John?"

"G-give m-me r-rad-pois…oning."

"But that will kill you for sure!"

"J-just d-do it. T-trust me…" Jack stuttered. His father squeezed his hand then screamed.

"I NEED EVERYTHING THAT PUTS OFF EVEN A SINGLE RAD! IRRADIETED WATER, RADIATION DAMAGED ITEMS, HELL DON´T YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF EXPERIMENTAL RADIATION WEAPONS!?"

"We do! I´ll go get it!" Sarah said from across the room.

"Well hurry!" his father said then went out of the room. Jack felt himself slipping, and slowly passed out again.

-/-

He opened his eyes, and it was still dark, but not pitch dark, he could see the bandages wrapped around his head. His body felt stronger again as well. Not a hundred percent, but strong enough to move. He reached for the bandages, and began unfolding them. He heard to voices gasp, and someone running up to him.

"Stop John!" his father said with a worrying tone, but Jack preceded. He knew his body had healed. Ever since he helped Moira with the chapter on radiation poisoning in her "Wasteland Survival Guide" his body had started to heal when exposed to radiation, similar to a ghoul. It wasn´t pretty though and it did leave scars, but it did heal properly, it was probably what had saved his life when he worked in the Mill. And when he opened his eyes again after removing the bandages he was met with the image of his father and Sarah looking mighty surprised, their jaws dropped to the ground.

"Would you mind telling me what the fuck happened?" Jack asked rudely. Sarah didn´t answer however, instead she flew across the room and threw herself over Jack, hugging him.

"I thought you were going to die." she whispered. Jack smiled and hugged her back. "I´m so sorry Jack, I assure you, the man that shot you will never wield a weapon again, he´s working in the kitchen as we speak." Jack grunted in agreement, even though he would´ve preferred to shoot the man.

"Son, that was astonishing. The radiation healed your wounds, it even grew back tissue, muscle and skin!"

"It´s quite something isn´t it?" Jack said proudly. Sarah released him from the hug and stepped back. Jack sat up on the edge of the bed, orienting himself. According to the sign above the door, he was in the medical wing in the Citadel. There was a box in the corner of the room from which he saw his leather armor sticking out of. He stood up and walked towards it.

"Hey! Take it easy, you were almost dead three hours ago!" Sara said worryingly.

"I´m fine." Jack answered and opened the box, revealing all of his stuff inside.

"Oh my God…" his father mumbled when he saw Jack´s scarred back. Another souvenir from the Pitt. Ten lashes for insubordination, five for working to slow. Jack didn´t answer and preceded with clothing himself. When he had put everything on and holstered his weapons he turned around and was met with four eyes staring at him.

"What?" Jack sneezed and met his father´s teary gaze.

"I´m so sorry son. I never meant for you to have to leave the vault…"

"Yeah well, shitty planning dad, now if you´ll excuse me, I have places to be."

"Are you shitting me Jack!?" Sarah screamed. "You just found your father after two and a half years, and you´re going to leave, just like that?"

"Pretty much ye, as I said, I have things to do."

"And what is it you must do exactly?" she asked, her voice trembling with rage.

Jack looked at Sarah, then his father, and then back at Sarah.

"I´d rather not say, now, I must insist on excusing me…" Jack answered coolly with his hand on the trigger of his Chinese assault rifle.

"Why´d you save me if you despise me so son?" his father asked, his voice filled with the tones of a broken heart.

Jack froze. That was a good question. Why had he saved his father? He sure as hell despised him for leaving him to die in the vault but Jack couldn´t come up with an answer. His mind was blank, emotionless.

He pushed passed his father and Sarah towards the door. He grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, but before he went out into the corridor he turned around and mumbled:

"I don´t know…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Better to be the monster and survive, than the victim and die**

"Jack wait!"

Jack turned around just as he was about to leave the Citadel´s front gate. It was Sarah who came running up to him. He didn´t really feel an urge to talk further with her so he turned around once again and kept walking.

"Jack please stop! Just give me a minute!" she pleaded.

"I´m not going to stop, if you have anything to say to me you´ll just have to keep up." Jack answered coolly.

"Fine, I just wanted to thank you." she said under her breath when she caught up with him. She almost had to jog to be able to keep up with Jack´s long strides.

"For what?"

"Finding your father of course! Now we can finally complete Project Purity and begin healing the Capital Wasteland!"

Jack didn´t answer her and kept walking. He could see from the corner of his eye that Sarah was eyeing him, waiting for a response, and when she didn´t get one after a couple of seconds the disappointment in her face was not so well hidden anymore.

"You don´t have to lock up your feelings anymore you know? Your father is alive and the Brotherhood would welcome you with open arms! You have a family again!"

Jack stopped, and turned to face Sarah and hissed:

"Sarah, you have the Neeson you need. Don´t push your luck."

"Why can´t you just come back to us? To me?" she said with a broken voice. Jack analyzed her face. She seemed genuinely upset, sad even.

"I can´t, I just can´t…" he mumbled.

"That´s not an acceptable answer! WHY?!"

Jack´s gaze moved to her Brotherhood insignia and his mind went back to the place where he had learned the truth about the Brotherhood.

-/-

The smell of burned flesh and steel met his nose when he woke up on his worn-out mattress, like it did every morning. Someone was banging on the door to the gladiator's quarters. Jack and the others sat up and waited for Faydra to enter and call up the two fighters for today. Jack hadn´t fought in a week so he was pretty sure he was up. He had won every fight they´d set up for him. They had even pinned him in a two against one last fight, but he had still come out victorious. The other fighters were scared of him, everyone knew by now that getting signed up with him was a death sentence. Jack himself preferred this line of work here in the Pitt, over working in the Mill like he had done previously. You got a decent amount of food and care, and all you had to do was fight to the death once a week, and thanks to his work with Moira, the radiation in the Hole wasn´t a crutch for him, like it was for the other fighters, but a helping hand, healing his injuries.

The door swung open and Faydra entered the room.

"Head-Cracker Jack, you´re up! Come with me scrab!" she shouted and waved him over to the door.

Jack got up from his mattress and put on his stuff. His metal armor and his trusty Auto-Axe named "The Mauler". He then went over to Faydra.

"Who-os, he fa-facing?" another fighter asked nervously.

"None of you useless slaves!" Faydra answered testily.

A sigh of relief was heard throughout the room.

"Who am I facing then?" Jack asked curiously.

Faydra took his arm and escorted him towards his entrance.

"You´re facing Gruber. One of the only slaves to ever win his way out, he´s got a taste for blood that one!" she answered and laughed.

They arrived at the entrance and Jack stepped into the pipe. He went through it and came out in the cage. On the other side of the Hole, a man in metal armor and biker helmet, was standing with a nice looking scoped assault rifle.

" ** _Undefeated in the Hole, Gruber has yet to meet his match! And against him, he also undefeated, Head-Cracker Jack!"_**

The speaker shouted, then the barrels dropped and the cages opened.

Gruber fired a quick salve against Jack, but Jack quickly dodged into the central cage. Gruber ran around and fired another salve, this time hitting Jack´s armor. Thankfully the armor blocked all the bullets and Jack jumped straight at Gruber with his auto-axe swinging. He hit Gruber over his left arm and it came clean of. The man didn´t even flinch, he quickly fired his rifle with his other hand straight at Jack´s head. Jack was able to dodge, but not before the first bullet had hit him in the neck, just above his slave collar. It went clean through. Jack quickly thrust his auto-axe into the chest of the man, and it sawed through his armor and sank into his chest. Gruber fell to the ground without a sound.

 ** _"It looks like we have a new champion! Ladies and gentlemen, let me hear it for HEAD-CRACKER JACK!"_**

The crowd of slavers and slaves went crazy. Applauses and whistles followed Jack as he left the Hole through the pipe.

"Well now, aren´t you quite the scrapper? Congratulations. You´ve done well, Ashur wishes to see you. The guards will be told to allow you to pass." a slaver named Krenshaw told him when he exited the pipe.

Jack was confused, but this could be his chance to get out of this shithole so he followed Krenshaw out. They went through the ramparts and towards Haven. They went under the statue and up the steps into the massive building.

"Take the elevator to the top floor, don´t keep the boss waiting." Krenshaw instructed him and pushed him into the elevator.

Jack pushed the button and before he knew it, he was standing face to face with his tormentor, no his _owner_ , Ashur, in his office.

"Nice work in the Hole new-blood. Knew you couldn´t be one of our normal workers. So that begs the question: who are you, and what are you doing in my city?!"

Jack looked at the battle-scarred man. He was wearing a heavily modified power armor, but he didn´t have the aura of the other slavers, there was something different about him. Jack had no love for Wernher, the runaway slave that had lured him to the Pitt, to help the slaves, so he decided to be honest with Ashur.

"I was grabbed by a group of your slavers, then after I managed to escape their cage and kill them I was recruited by a man named Wernher who had been captured as well to help the slaves revolt, and find a cure for the mutations plaguing the town. But he ditched me once I got caught, and since then I have just tried to survive in this place."

"Wernher you say? Listen here, Head-Cracker Jack, what if I told you where Wernher is, what would you do?" Ashur asked and stared deep into Jack´s eyes.

"I´d go there, and kill him." Jack answered immediately, and it wasn´t even a lie, that man brought him to this hell, and he would pay for ditching him.

"That´s what I wanted to hear! I´ll mark the location on your Pip-Boy here. And when you get back, I´ll let you choose your own reward. Within reason of course." Ashur said and smirked.

Jack left, and three hours later he was back, with Wernher´s head in his hand. Ashur looked at the head and you could almost see the weight of this problem leave Ashur´s shoulders. Ashur sat down in his office chair and invited Jack to sit down in the chair opposite him.

"That´s what I call efficient work. Have you thought about a reward?"

"My freedom." Jack answered calmly, doing his best to hide his fear.

"Well then, freedom it is!" Ashur said and took up a remote control and pointed it at Jack´s collar. A low beep escaped the collar, and it un-hatched and fell to the ground. Jack stared at it.

"Thank you." he whispered.

He felt Ashur studying him. Jack looked up from the collar and straight into Ashur´s eyes. Ashur smiled and said:

"Not even a single tear. You´re a strong one aren´t you? Tell me, how long have you been here?"

"Nine months."

"Hm, most Mill workers show signs of mutations after four months, but you show no signs of mutations at all. How come?"

"My body mutated after I took part in an experiment, radiation doesn´t affect me, it heals me, kinda like a ghoul."

"And you´ve suffered no injuries to your skeleton either? Does it heal broken bones to?"

"No, I have an adamantium skeleton, which I got from another experiment." Jack answered truthfully. He didn´t know why he did, he just felt he could trust this man, weirdly enough considering he´d been his owner five minutes ago.

Ashur scratched his cheek then asked:

"Could you tell me your story, Head-Cracker Jack?"

Jack could´ve sworn he saw compassion in Ashur´s eyes. So, he began telling him his story. His upbringing in Vault 101, his escape after his father left, his adventures during the six months in the Capital Wasteland, and finally how he´d met Wernher and then how he had been enslaved at the front gate.

"That´s a story that is. I´ll tell you why you ended up here Jack. You let people push you around, the inhabitants of Megaton and Rivet City, the Brotherhood, and finally Wernher. I was once like you, trying to help everyone, being the good Samaritan, until the day I realized that _it_ _s better to be the monster and survive, than the victim and die,_ and then I ended up in charge here and found out that it actually was true. If you want to achieve something, you´ll have to bend your moral compass. I could never have built this place without slaves. I despise using slaves, but it´s a necessary evil. One day I might be able to abolish the slavery here, but until then I need them to build my civilization. Give me a month to mentor you, and you´ll return a conqueror to the Capital Wasteland."

Jack looked at Ashur. A fire was burning bright in his eyes.

"Better to be the monster and survive, than the victim and die…" Jack mumbled to himself as he scratched his chin. He suddenly relived all the times he´d been manipulated and betrayed and right there and there he made himself a promise to live by this new creed. "Alright Sir, I´ll stay for a month and study under you."

"Great!" Ashur shouted enthusiastically and stood up and smacked his palms together. "I see great potential in you son, but now lesson one! And it´s a history lesson. It all began when the Brotherhood rolled into town…"

-/-

"Jack? JACK?!" Sarah screamed. "Answer me!"

Jack´s gaze returned to Sarah´s face, he was met with a stare that would make a Super mutant piss himself. But suddenly he understood that he had dropped his Lone Wanderer façade because the stare turned into a confused look.

"What is it Jack? Tell me!"

"I can´t work with the Brotherhood, not after what you´ve done…" he answered and turned around once again and began walking away from the Citadel. This time Sarah didn´t run after him but she shouted at him.

"After what we´ve done?! What´s that supposed to mean? We´ve done nothing but good for the Capital Wasteland!"

" **YOU`VE DONE NOTHING FOR THE CAPITAL WASTELAND!"** Jack snapped and turned around and made short work of the distance between them, stopping just an inch away from Sarah and screamed: **"YOU`VE ONLY TAKEN CREDIT FOR EVERYTHING I`VE DONE, SO GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"**

 **"OH YEAH?! WELL AT LEAST WE HAVEN`T NUKED AN ENTIRE TOWN TO HELL!"** Sarah shouted back at him.

 **"NO BUT YOU`VE WIPED OUT ALMOST AN ENTIRE CITY FOR NO APPEARANT REASON AT ALL!"** Jack countered.

Sarah´s jaw locked, clearly taken aback by Jack´s accusation.

"How do you know about that?" she whispered.

"Well when you spend nine months in the Pitt you pick some stuff up." Jack hissed.

"But there were no survivors… you could only have heard it from a member of the Brotherhood. My father made it very clear to everyone that this was a matter better left behind and buried, and never to be mentioned… Who told you?" she asked with a panicked tone in her voice.

"Not a member of the Brotherhood, don´t worry you don't have a whistleblower in your ranks.

Sarah looked at him suspiciously, he felt her scanning his face, trying to determine his truthfulness, but he knew she couldn´t read him, his Lone Wanderer facade was back up. Or was it even a facade anymore? He couldn´t tell.

"But that´s in the past anyways, we´ve been trying to redeem ourselves with Project Purity!"

"Sarah, your past might not haunt you as much as mine does, but I spent eight horrible months in pure agony because of your past actions, it´s not something I can forget or forgive. Now please, you have my father and he can help you redeem yourselves, so let me go." Jack said and squeezed her hand softly. When she didn´t answer him, but just stared at him with teary eyes, he turned around one final time and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Where did you find this one Burke**

"Sorry to disturb you sir but you have a visitor."

Jack looked back at Godfrey from his balcony chair in disbelief.

"I thought I made myself explicitly clear when I told you I wanted to be left alone not ten minutes ago Godfrey." he hissed through gritted teeth.

"You did sir, but this particular guest is quite insistent on meeting you, and my programming won´t allow me to shoo him away as it would any other guests."

"Who in Gods name won´t let your programming…"

"Good evening to you Mr. Neeson." the familiar mischievous voice of Mr. Burke announced himself as he stepped out onto the balcony.

"Mr. Burke sir." Godfrey answered Jack´s not so finished question.

"Yea that makes sense, fetch a bottle of whiskey Godfrey and two glasses."

"Your wish is my command sir." Godfrey responded and hovered back inside. Jack motioned for Mr. Burke to sit down on the chair next to him. Mr. Burke nodded thankfully and sat down.

"I´ve had a pretty shitty week Mr. Burke, I´m afraid I´m not going to be that great company on such a nice evening."

"I figured as much, but Mr. Tenpenny was quite distraught when you didn´t show up for your meeting three days ago, and according to my observations you haven´t left your suite since you returned late Tuesday night."

"Yes, sorry about the meeting but I´m not quite up to listening to that moron at the moment."

Burke exhaled in chock. "Careful Mr. Neeson, people have gotten thrown out of this fine establishment for speaking kinder words of Mr. Tenpenny."

Godfrey hovered back out onto the balcony and put down two glasses on the little round table between the two men. They sat in silence as Godfrey poured their drinks. When they´d been filled Godfrey put down the bottle and hovered back inside the suite.

Jack then eyed Burke closely as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He opened the package and threw the plastic over the railing, pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips then held out the pack to Burke. Burke took one and fished up a lighter from his own pocket, first lighting Jack´s cigarette, then his own. The two men inhaled deeply, and then exhaled two long bursts of smoke in unison.

"Tell me something Burke, do you truly respect Tenpenny?"

"Of course, Mr. Neeson." Burke answered without hesitation in his monotone tone.

"I find that hard to believe." Jack said skeptically.

"How so?" Burke asked baffled while he took another whiff of the cigarette and looked out over the Wasteland.

Jack inhaled and then exhaled before answering: "Because I sure don´t and you don´t seem to be a fool and you´re not afraid of him either, like the rest of the rats in this tower."

Burke chuckled. "It´s true I don't consider myself a fool, and I wouldn´t say I´m afraid of Mr. Tenpenny either."

"So then why would I believe you respect him Burke? Unless there´s a reason I´m missing…"

"There is a reason you´re missing Mr. Neeson."

"And what would that reason be?" Jack asked curiously and took a sip of his whiskey.

Burke met Jack´s stare with a calm smile that almost threw Jack off balance. This man remained an enigma to him.

"Perhaps one day I´ll tell you." he answered and took a sip of his whiskey as well before looking back at the sunset.

Then they sat there for a couple of minutes, just smoking and taking the occasional sip of whiskey, watching as the sun continued to settle over the horizon. When Jack felt finished with the cigarette he put it out in the ashtray and turned himself to Burke.

"So, why are you here Burke, to kick me out for speaking heresy against our Lord Tenpenny?" Jack said sarcastically.

"Officially I´m here to inquire on as to why you missed your appointment with Mr. Tenpenny…"

"And unofficially?"

"And unofficially I´m here to ask you for a personal favor, a job if you´d like."

"I´m currently enjoying my unemployment and I think I will for quite a while longer."

"I think you will change your mind after you´ve heard the job description." Burke said and smiled his crooked smile.

"That´s not how the line goes, it goes, I think you will change your mind after you´ve heard the size of the payment."

"Well I´m quite sure that it´s the job description that will change your mind Mr. Neeson."

Jack leaned back in his chair, whiskey in hand and said: "Well Burke you´ve certainly peaked my interest, spill it!"

Burke leaned forward in his chair. "I need you to get me three keys, from three different individuals and when you´ve retrieved these keys, they are to be killed with a shot to the head."

"What are these keys for?"

"I don´t know, I was hired by a man, well, a ghoul-man, to get this done. My reputation apparently precedes me after Megaton." Burke said and laughed, the most stereotypical evil laugh Jack had ever heard.

"Who are the targets?"

"A man called Dave, who currently resides up north-east in a small town called the Republic of Dave, a man called Jeff Strayer who resides in Rivet City, and a man called Dukov who resides in a building near the Lincoln Memorial, I´ll mark the locations on your map."

"Alright, you said something about shooting them in the head? Was that a way for you to imply that the ghoul really wants them dead or did you literally mean I have to shoot them in the head? Because shooting people in the head in the middle of a town usually draws a lot of unwanted attention."

"May I have a refill?" Burke asked and motioned towards the whiskey bottle. Jack shrugged and nodded. Burke took the bottle and filled his glass. "Yes he literally wants them shot in the head, apparently the targets are ghoul-haters or something of the sort, he went on about old movies and sending a message I couldn´t quite grasp the concept if I´m to be honest with you, but he pays good caps, and I´ll split the reward with you 80-20."

Jack downed his own drink and took out another cigarette from the pack he´d left on the table. Before he could pick up his own lighter Burke already had his own lit and Jack leaned over and lit his cigarette. He puffed on it a bit before saying: "I hope you meant 30-70?"

Burke smiled and took a sip of his whiskey before saying: "Sorry I must´ve been unclear, I meant 80-20 in your favor, but 70-30 in your favor works."

"Hmpf, you conniving son of a bitch Burke, fine 70-30 it is." Jack said and shook Burke´s already outstretched hand.

They sat in silence for a bit watching the sun finally set.

"Shall we continue indoors?" Jack asked and stood up.

"You read my mind Mr. Neeson." Burke answered and stood up as well, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and the two glasses.

Once inside Jack threw himself on the sofa and Burke sat down in the armchair to the right of him after putting down the glasses and filling them both up once more.

"Whoa Burke you´re quite a drinker." Jack proclaimed acting concerned.

"It´s not everyday you get to drink with the Lone Wanderer Mr. Neeson, I thought I´d take the opportunity when it presented itself." Burke said with one of his weird smiles that could just as well be fake as it could be genuine. "I love what you´ve done with the place, I see you choose the pre-war theme, same as I, not what I was expecting from you though."

"What did you expect? The raider theme?"

"Well yes, haven´t you heard the stories about yourself?"

"They´re hard to miss when they´re told on the only radio station that I find listenable, but I can assure you, only half of them are nearly true." Jack answered with a grimace and took a sip of his newly filled glass. "I´d actually like to knock down that wall there." he added and pointed to the wall behind Burke.

"That would make you roommates with the Chengs." Burke pointed out.

"I am aware, but the extra space would be a perfect storage room for my stuff, there´s not enough room in this suite alone."

"Your belongings doesn´t seem to clutter this suite that much?"

"That´s because all my belongings aren´t here, they remain stashed at my, let´s call it safehouse."

"I´ll see what I can do then, we wouldn´t want Mr. Tenpenny second favorite resident to be unsatisfied with his lodgings."

"Much appreciated." Jack said and raised his glass as a thank you. Burke replied the gesture and they both downed they´re drinks. "Fuck Susan would´ve been nice right about now." Jack sighed.

"Well you shouldn´t have kidnapped her and sent her to Mr. Jones." Burke remarked.

Jack almost choked on the smoke he had just inhaled. "Hahaha nothing gets passed you Burke does it?"

"It does not." Burke confirmed once again with one of his creepy smiles. "Fortunately for you, I managed to get my hands on a sufficient replacement." he said, earning a raised eyebrow from Jack. "Godfrey! Could you please fetch the lovely lady waiting in my suite?"

"Absolutely Mr. Burke, you could learn a thing or two about manners from this lovely man master Neeson!" Godfrey proclaimed and hovered out of the suite.

"One of these days I swear I´m gonna dismantle the mister handy and rip that simulated personality out of it." Jack grinned and put out his cigarette in the ashtray standing on the living room table.

"I´m sure, is that the same day you´ve sworn you´re going to shot Shakes for not giving you the correct drink?" Burke asked playfully.

"As true as my names Jack Neeson!"

"So not so true I take it?"

"What?" Jack asked genuinely confused.

"Your name isn´t Jack Neeson, It´s John Neeson, Mr. John James Neeson if I´m not misinformed."

Jack eyed the man but he was still impossible to read, so instead he made a mental note to do some research of his own on this mysteriously well informed man. Before he could answer Burke, Godfrey returned with a beautiful young woman, dressed only in a fur robe.

"Master Neeson, may I introduce you to Miss Silver!" Godfrey announced.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Neeson, Mr. Burke." she said and bobbed a curtsy to the two men.

"Miss Silver." Burke greeted her and tipped his hat. Jack on the other hand just sat in awe, studying her. She had long skinny legs, like the pinup girls in the pre-war catalogues, nice wide hips, and a decently large pair of breasts, at least it looked that way, the robe was pretty tight, hugging her figure. She had an innocent look in her face as well, something you rarely saw in any woman in the Capital Wasteland, her silver colored hair wasn´t exactly common either. In a different world he could picture her being a star in one of those TV- series that apparently were so popular before the Great War.

"Where did you find this one Burke?" Jack finally said.

"Forgive my masters manners miss, he tends to forget one should behave with common courtesy when in such a fine establishment." Godfrey complained, and then Jack could´ve sworn the mister handy shot him a dirty look with his center lamp.

"Oh shut it Godfrey, fetch the lady a drink, whatever she wants."

"Certainly sir! What can I get you miss? We have everything you can imagine and more, master is quite the collector, and drinker."

The woman giggled and said: "A mojito if you have the ingredients please."

The mister handy suddenly hovered a bit higher, as if it was relishing the fact that he was actually going to get to make a proper drink for the first time since Jack took over the suite. "One mojito coming right up miss!" he said and hovered over to the bar across from the sofa.

"Come miss Silver, sit down next to Mr. Neeson, he´s been asking about you." Burke said and chuckled.

She proceeded to sit down on the sofa really close to Jack laying a hand on his thigh which shot a primitive tingle up is leg.

"He has, has he? Well I would love to get to know him better." she said with a smile that would put a siren from the old texts of Plato to shame.

"I´ll leave you to alone." Mr. Burke said and pushed himself up from the armchair. "I suppose I can inform my employer that you´ll have the job completed and the keys retrieved in, let´s say, seven days?"

"Yes, yes sure." Jack said without taking his eyes of Miss Silver, and waving Burke off.

"Good, be careful with him now Miss Silver, I need him still functional in the morning."

"No promises Mr. Burke." she said seductively, she not taking her eyes Jack either, and still caressing his thigh.

Burke chuckled then whished them and Godfrey, who just hovered by and put the newly mixed mojito in Silvers other hand, a good night and left. Silver took a sip of the mojito and thanked Godfrey who then hovered back to the bar and began cleaning the utensils he´d used.

"So, Mr. Neeson, I hear you´re the Lone Wanderer."

"So, Miss Silver, I hear too."

"It´s just Silver for you handsome." she said and took another sip of her drink.

"Call me Jack, Lone Wanderer is a bit of a mouthful."

She chuckled at that, it seemed genuine enough even though she most likely was an experienced prostitute, Jack wasn´t surprised, he´d been known as a bit of a lady killer back in Megaton.

"Alright then, _Jack_ , are you as bad as that man on the radio says?" she asked looking up into his eyes innocently.

"What do you think?"

"I think, since you haven´t killed me and devoured my flesh yet, you´re supposed badness is a bit exaggerative."

"I´d say so as well." Jack agreed, putting his hand on her neck. She let a little moan slip, which made Jack go crazy. He stood up and picked her up.

"But my mojito!" she protested half-heartedly.

Jack switched his grip, so he carried her with just one arm, and picked up the drink in his other one and handed it to her.

"You have till the top of the stairs to finish it."

"Oh I take it back, you really are the devil."


	7. Chapter 7

**I** **m sorry to hear that Mr. Strayer**

"State your name and reason for visiting." the stern male voice said over the intercom.

Jack looked over towards the half-sunken ship called Rivet City, and scanned the side of it for guards. One standing at the entrance, and one sniper standing at the top of the ship, in the same place as that suicidal man had used to stand before Jack relieved him of his misery. Suddenly the guard at the entrance was joined by three more guards, and Jack could see activity in the windows on the floor above the entrance. He sighed, so they had recognized him. He cursed his tall figure, it didn´t matter that he was wearing a regulator duster and a sun-burned cowboy hat, something he would never wear, he was still to easily recognizable because of his 6,6 feet.

"I repeat, state your name and reason for visiting." the intercom barked at him.

"Oh shut it, you know very well who I am!" Jack yelled across the river. He could see the guards fidgeting a bit on the other side. Then another brave soul spoke into the intercom. A female voice this time, a bit more determined and very much more spiteful than the previous voice.

"Then you know we will never let you in again _Wanderer_."

Jack leaned down to the intercom, pushed the button and whispered. "I suppose I´m speaking to Chief Lana Danvers, am I correct?"

He few seconds of silence before the answer came.

"Yes."

"Alright Chief here´s the thing, I´m not here to cause any trouble, I´ve been sent by Mr. Burke of Tenpenny Tower to pick up a key from one, Mr. Strayer. I also have a couple of items of value I would like to trade in the marketplace. That´s it."

"Last time you were here Wanderer, three men disappeared. You wouldn´t know anything about that would you?"

"As a matter of fact, no. Who has disappeared?" Jack asked innocently.

"Mr. Flak, Chief Harkness and Mr. Lopez."

"I take it back, I know exactly where they are."

"So you confess you are behind their disappearing?" the voice asked triumphantly.

"Are you hearing impaired chief? I said I knew where they were, not that I had anything to do with how they got there."

A few seconds of silence as the guards on the other side seemed to debate.

"Alright, where are they?"

Jack smiled to himself. "Let me in to go about my business and I´ll gladly tell you."

More silence, this time the debate seemed a bit more heated. Suddenly one of the guards stormed off into the marketplace, seemingly finishing the debate.

"We´ll extend the drawbridge, if you go down on your knees with your hands on your head, we´ll come over and search you and relieve you of any weapons in your possession, which you will get back upon leaving. Don´t try anything or we will open fire."

"Fine by me ma´am." Jack answered politely. He took of his backpack and laid it beside him, then got down on his knees with his hands on top of his head. Under different circumstances he would never have agreed to this kind of behavior and would probably just have shot the guards and swum over. But he actually had more business to tend to in the city, which required that some of the people inside talked to him, instead of shooting at him. A loud screech announced the drawbridge´s extension. Jack had excellent vision, and he saw that the guard to the right of the chief was shaking nervously. Oh yes, not everyday you came face to face with the Lone Wanderer, Jack thought to himself and chuckled. As the guards approached him he could also see that the guard was young, and you could almost see his heart overclocking in his chest. They stopped three yards in front of him, rifles trained on him.

"Frisk him Martinez." The chief commanded, to the nervous guard.

To his credit ´Martinez´ obeyed instantly and approached Jack slowly, although he was shaking furiously. Jack couldn´t help himself, he started laughing, which stopped the young guard dead in his tracks. He looked back at the chief who just looked back at him equally confused.

"Why are you laughing Wanderer?" She asked angrily.

"Hahaha, listen kid, I´m not that dangerous, come here, I promise I won´t eat your brains." Jack said and waved the young guard over towards him.

"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!" the chief screamed.

"Sorry ma´am, of course, but please, I don't have all day, Martinez get over here and frisk me already or I might take back my promise." Jack said politely, with a hint of irritation on the last words as he eyed the young guard.

The young guard mustered up all of his courage and went around Jack and frisked him from behind. He took of Jack´s Chinese assault rifle and put it in a box behind the intercom, then he reached in under the duster and grabbed the sawed-off shotgun Jack kept in on of the inner pockets on the duster. He put that in the box as well, then he took of Jack´s two weapon belts, one with a combat knife and his Zhu-Rong pistol, and the other belt with his sturdy Blackhawk Magnum. The guard also took of the shoulder belt Jack had lined with frag grenades, ammo, and a second combat knife.

"Holy shit." the chief muttered under her breath. Jack just shot her a grin.

"I think that´s all ma´am." The young guard stuttered.

"Good, stand up Wand…"

"Upupup." Jack interrupted Chief Danvers. He shook his left arm, and a switchblade came shooting out in his hand, which he promptly handed over to the young guard. He reached back into his left boot, and pulled out another combat knife, which he also handed over. "Would you mind taking the hunting rifle of the backpack as well? I have the stuff I want to trade in there." Jack asked the young guard politely. The three guards all stood with jaws dropped through the floor. Jack snapped his fingers, throwing them back into reality and the young guard did as he had asked. "Thank you, now that´s everything." Jack said and smiled. "Can I come in now?"

"Martinez lock the box, and escort the Wanderer to the jail cell."

"That´s wasn´t our deal Chief…" Jack growled.

"You´re under arrest for the murder of three residents of Rivet City."

"Oh how dense can someone be? I HAVEN´T KILLED ANYONE YOU DUMBASS!" Jack shouted aggressively. The chief and what seemed to be her second put their fingers on the triggers and stepped back one step. Unfortunately for the young Martinez, Jack´s rage had scared him shitless and he was still behind him. Jack spun around and grabbed him by the throat and used him as a shield against the eventual bullets. "Now, lower your guns, or young Martinez here is going to need a new set of windpipes." Jack growled.

"Release him!"

" **LOWER YOUR GUNS!"**

Suddenly a bullet grazed his cheek, and Jack instantly looked up to the top of the boat, seeing the smoke from a sniper nozzle. He looked over to the chief, who seemed to realize that shit had just hit the fan. Jack grabbed the SMG his hostage had strapped to his leg and fired a quick salve up towards the snipers nest. A high-pitched scream was heard before the sniper fell over the railing and down into the river. The other guard Danvers had brought opened fire, lining the young guard, now turned meat-shield, with bullets. Jack emptied his own clip into the guard who just limped down into a pile, dying instantly. Jack dropped his now dead hostage and walked towards Chief Danvers, who stood still in shock. He pushed the SMG into her chest, leaned over to her ear and whispered:

"May I go inside now Chief, or do we have a problem here?"

She didn´t have the courage to answer him, so she just nodded shaking.

"Good, and by the way, I´m not gonna go inside without my stuff, now that I realize how trigger happy your people are, I´m sure that´s fine, right?"

She just nodded again while he re-armed himself. When he was finished, he strode passed her, kicked the limp body of the dead guard, walked over the drawbridge, and entered the marketplace.

-/-

After trading some of his items in the marketplace, if you could even call it trading when the shopkeepers literally tell you to take anything you want, Jack was sitting at the bar down in the Muddy Rudder, enjoying a beer. He liked the Muddy Rudder, sure it was a pretty shitty bar, but at least Belle Bonny didn´t treat him any differently than the other customers, down here he was just another drinker. He had been sitting in the bar for about fifteen minutes before he heard the man he had been waiting for enter. You always knew when Sister entered the bar, because Brock always growled when he did. Sister and Brock didn´t quite get along, and more then once they got into brawls, to the amusement of the other customers who always began betting on the fight. Today however Jack didn´t have time for it so he whistled, gaining Sister´s attention. Jack motioned him to come over and sit down, which Sister did. He sat down with a grunt.

"Another beer Belle." Jack told the bartender and a second later a beer was standing on the counter in front of Sister.

"Thanks Jack." Sister said and took a deep swig. "Heard you played nice with our guards."

"I did, they shot first, I was actually unarmed." Jack said and took a swig himself.

"Sure you were, you disarmed completely? Even the switchblades you have stashed everywhere and nowhere?"

"Well no, of course not, and not the silenced 10mm strapped to my thigh either, but you know, almost unarmed, anyways, as the situation unfolded I got to keep everything on me when I entered."

Sister laughed and drank some more beer. "I suppose this isn´t a courtesy visit, what can I do for you killer?"

Jack took out his cigarette package and fished up two cigarettes, putting one in Sister´s mouth and lighting it and then repeating the process on himself. He took a few breaths before leaning closer to Sister.

"I need to find a man named Jeff Strayer, you know of him?"

"Is this one of Eulogy´s V. ?"

"No this is for another job."

"Well then it will cost you friend."

"BROCK! Did you hear what Sister just said about your moth…"

" _FIIINEEE!_ " Sister whispered." I don´t know of any Jeff Strayer, but there´s a Ted Strayer here. He usually wanders around the flight deck this time of day."

"Nothing Brock, misunderstanding, it´s all good!" Jack shouted towards the walking Brock. Brock responded with a grunt and walked back to his original guarding position. "You´re a doll Sister, thank you." Jack said and lifted his beer bottle up in a toast which Sister responded to. They then downed their beers and Jack stood up. "I owe you one Sister, anything you ever need, just come see me."

"Actually, I am in need of a favor right now."

"Really? Go on."

"Well you know that Eulogy pays really good caps for kids? I need you to lure out the son of Tammy Hargrave outside of the city. I´ve found myself in need of caps."

"Consider it done, you are aware though, that when the kid disappears at the same time as me and you, we are never getting back on this wreck right?"

"Oh I´m aware, this shithole´s tapped anyways, it´s just a matter of time before it falls apart."

"Alright, I´ll lure the kid outside, where can I find him?"

"Flight deck as well."

"Alright, but listen, if you´re going to go out with a bang, why not make it an even bigger one?" Jack asked cryptically.

"What are you thinking?" Sister asked, clearly intrigued.

"Well, rumor has it, that Mei Wong is one of Eulogy´s escaped slaves…"

"Hmmm, I see, I´ll get to it then, meet you near the Metro station in two hours?"

"Sure, I´m northbound after this anyways." Jack said, slapped the man across the back, left a couple of caps on the counter for Belle and strode out of the bar, towards the flight deck.

-/-

Jack had run into the boy Sister was talking about just as he entered the flight deck, and luring him to go outside of the city had been laughably easy. Now it was just a matter of finding his primary target. He saw a man on the far side of the ship, sitting on the edge of the deck, looking down at the activity on the drawbridge. Jack walked over to the man until he was standing quietly behind him. He dropped his cigarette and stomped on it to put it out. No reaction from the man, he was obviously caught in deep thoughts.

"Mr. Strayer?" Jack asked, his deep voice carried by the large open space of metal they were on. The man turned his head around, whipped out of his day-dream.

"Yes, the one and only, and who are you?" he answered neutrally.

"I´ve been sent to collect a key from a Mr. Jeff Strayer, could you point me in the right direction?"

"That´s my dad, sorry to disappoint you but he´s dead." Strayer answered sadly.

"I´m sorry to hear that Mr. Strayer…"

"Call med Ted."

"Ted… did your father leave you a key of some sort?"

"He did actually, only thing the poor bastard left me. But I haven´t ordered a courier, who sent you?"

"That´s irrelevant, do you have to key on you?"

"I do…" Ted said and reached into a pocket in his pants. "why are you askin…"

Ted didn´t get the time to finish his sentence. Jack pulled out his silenced 10mm pistol and shot him in the head, right in the center of the forehead. Ted´s body went limp, and Jack had to take a quick step forward and catch his body before it fell over the edge. He dragged it back a bit and began searching the pocket Ted had reached into before getting shot, and sure enough, it contained a key. Jack took the key and put it in one of his dusters inside pockets. He then picked up the body and walked across the deck, back to the door, and laid it down just in front if the door so that the first person that came up here would find it. Burke had said that his employer wanted to send some kind of message, so Jack figured the body had to be found. Even though it wasn´t the Strayer he´d been sent out for, he suspected that the son would do just fine. People sure had seemed to think that Jack could answer for his father´s actions, so why shouldn´t everyone?

-/-

Jack met Sister outside of Anacostia Crossing about thirty minutes later. To his surprise, he was accompanied by a little girl with a slave collar as well as the boy and Mei Wong.

"Took your sweet time killer. But look at this, quite the catch am I right? I might even give you a run for your money as the best slaver now!" Sister gloated happily. The kids were crying and Mei laid on the ground, passed out it seemed.

"I seriously doubt it." Jack answered coldly.

"Haha yeye I was only kidding, jeez no need to get grumpy."

Jack quickly closed the distance between them and then drew his sawed-off shotgun and pushed it into Sister´s mouth and pulled the trigger, spraying brains all over the children behind what was now a slavers dead body. The body fell to the ground with a thump, and the children screamed in fear, hugging each other. Jack paid them no mind. He instead pulled out a piece of paper out of his backpack and a pencil and began writing.

 _"I just couldn_ _t take it anymore, not after what I did to the kids, Harkness and the others were another matter, but when I saw what the slavers I handed the kids over to, did to them, I just couldn_ _t live with myself anymore. I_ _m sorry Rivet City, I_ _m so sorry."_

Jack crumpled the note, stuck it into one of Sister´s pockets, and then left the shotgun in the body´s hand. Then he turned to the kids, who now had stopped crying, Jack figured they had run out of tears.

"Let´s go, I´m taking you to a new better home, don´t worry, everything will be fine now that the cruel man is dead!"

"I want to go home now!" The girl said.

"But you can´t go home, everyone in Rivet City is dead, I killed them. Come on now, I´m taking you to Paradise Falls, it´s a Paradise, like the name implies, I promise!" Jack lied to them.

He picked up the sleeping body of Mei Wong, threw her over his shoulder and pushed the children in front of him. He´d have to make a quick detour before moving on to his next target, but the caps he was going to earn was well worth the extra day. And besides, he hadn´t been to Paradise Falls in a while, it was going to be nice catching up with Eulogy.


End file.
